The Protoss Khala
by Garjzla abr Eldrvarya Sundavar
Summary: Strongly inspired by East Bridge's "The Zerg Swarm." Jeros awakens on another world, called to be the new Hierarch of the Protoss Khala. Now he must gather his strength if he is to survive on this new, more deadly world.
1. Chapter 1

**This fanfic is was strongly inspired by "The Zerg Swarm" by East Bridge. It will probably have similarities to the other story because of this. However, I still intend to have my own spin on things.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Starcraft or Starcraft II. They are owned by Blizzard.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Awakening**

The only thing the boy thought when he regained consciousness was that he had a _splitting_ headache. The last thing he remembered was falling from a high place… a… a catwalk in the downtown theater? Or was it from high up in a tree?

He was suddenly very confused. He tried to remember. His name. Jacob. He grew up in Pennsylvania…

No, wait.

His name was Jeros. He was born here on Morsalus, a world with a larger sun and brilliant star clouds (nebulae, he realized; a word he recognized from… _somewhere_) brightening the night sky…

Okay, now he was _really_ confused. He wasn't exactly sure how or why, but somehow he had two sets of memories: One of a boy name Jacob who lived on Earth, and another of Jeros, who lived on Morsalus. Squinting at the intruding light, he opened his eyes to the worn thatched roof of… the serf barracks.

He groaned softly and rolled onto his side, memories slowly filtering through his over-stuffed mind. He remembered moving to and growing up in a suburb in Pennsylvania with his mom, Rebecca, and his dad, Phillip. He remembered volunteering at his school's theater production to work the lights. And he remembered the catwalk creaking ominously for a moment before one of the cables holding it snapped and the catwalk tilted, knocking Jacob off. He remembered a moment of awful pain as he hit the ground and then…

Nothing. Waking up here. And yet…

He also remembered growing up here on Morsalus as a serf under Duke Farien, who was the lord of this land and a vassal to King Darius. His mother, Anna, had begun life as a serf, but she and his father Thomas, a Manus-wielding knight, had fallen in love and married, raising her to the middle class. Unfortunately, Thomas had been killed defending the Duke's holdings, and with his death, Anna, who had been pregnant with Jeros at the time, was cast back down the class ladder, and became a serf once more. It was only thanks to the money Thomas had left them that she had been able to raise Jeros until he could begin working as well.

Morsalus. The world he was on was much like, and yet also very different from, the Earth Jacob grew up on. This world was populated by humans much the same as Earth, but rather than using science and technology, they wielded Magic, and Manus, a sort of physical energy which was used to augment the wielder's body. The technological state of the world was much the same as what Jacob knew as Medieval Europe, with the High King Darius (the strongest Manus-wielder on the planet) appointing vassal lords to govern his vast territories. The duke who more or less owned Jeros and his mother was a mid-level Magic-wielder, specializing in Ice Magic, a variant of Water Magic. Magic-wielders were able to manipulate the elements, while Manus-wielders possessed the ability to enforce and enhance their physical might and, at higher levels, project it.

Slowly, as Jeros' mind calmed, he became aware of a… presence, of sorts, in the back of his mind. A soft… calling, almost. He had a faint idea that he should be… well, he wasn't sure where, but somewhere else. He needed to find a proper place for something called a nexus.

Before he could contemplate that further, the door of the cottage opened and his mother entered, carrying a small bundle of herbs. She looked over at him with concern, which quickly melted into relief when she saw that he was awake.

"Oh, thank goodness," she said, walking over to the cot Jeros was lying on, "I was beginning to get worried you wouldn't wake up."

Jeros smiled weakly. "What happened?" he asked.

His mother frowned slightly. "You were harvesting in the orchard yesterday morning," she answered, "when the branch you were on fell out from under you. Ryan carried you back here."

Jeros nodded, rolling onto his back, staring at the ceiling. Ryan was another serf who lived in their small community under the duke. Jeros would have to thank him somehow later…

Jeros frowned, noticing something. By the light streaming through the window, he guessed that it was mid-afternoon. If he'd been out for almost a day and a half, shouldn't he be at least a little bit hungry, if not starving? And yet, he wasn't. If anything he felt full, almost too full. Like he needed to expel… _something_ from his being.

_Psionic Energy_, a voice whispered in his head.

Jeros blinked. He wondered for a brief instant what the voice was, but as his thoughts strayed to the phrase _Psionic Energy_, the voice spoke again.

_Stored Psionic Energy: 0 units_

_Hierarch Psionic Energy: 100/100 units_

_Psionic Matrix Coverage: Hierarch_

_Psionic Matrix at maximum capacity._

He blinked again, confused. He hadn't realized until now, but he recognized those words from Jacob's set of memories. The problem was, the only placed he'd heard them used in that way was in a video game Jacob had enjoyed playing, Starcraft. But… did that mean he was supposed to build a Protoss nexus? How was he going to do that? The voice spoke again.

_Nexus: Primary Protoss Structure. Produces probe units. Unlocks Pylon. Psionic Energy cost: 100 units._

From what Jeros could tell he was supposed to build this Nexus, but first, he somehow knew that he had to find a proper place for it.

He glanced over at his mother. He wanted to tell her about the voice, and about his new memories, his new _mission_, but…

He needed to figure this out for himself first. He sat back, and waited.

* * *

Jeros waited until that night to sneak out. His mother hadn't left his side since he'd woken up, and even if she had, he didn't want anyone to know about what he was trying to do. Not yet, at least. Quietly and thankfully without incident, he was able to sneak out of the serfs' compound, which was situated just outside of the castle walls and fenced in by a wood-stick wall and gate. Even if he had been spotted, he doubted the guards would even raise the alarm. Chasing after someone, especially during the night, was a great undertaking. The pine forests around village were filled with Demonians, monstrous creatures of every shape and size that covered nearly all of the uncivilized portions of Morsalus. The further one went out from the castle, the fiercer they became. Some of the more dangerous ones could even practice a lower form of magic. The amount of manpower required to mount a rescue effort was not worth the life of a single serf.

Jeros knew he should have been terrified as he trekked through the forest. He had no ability with Magic or Manus, no weapons or training with them, and even the lowest of level one Demonians could probably rip him to shreds. And yet, as he walked along the barely visible trail through forest, he never saw a single Demonian. He heard occasional scuffling in the underbrush as he passed, but always in the distance good ways away from him, rather than nearby and moving in for the kill.

Jeros walked for several hours, breaking into a run when the thick trees permitted it, making his way through the trees toward the mountainous valley to the north, just visible on the horizon from the castle walls. Any normal person would have had to stop for rest, but whatever had been done to him had drastically extended his endurance. He had not even broken a sweat.

Eventually, he came to the valley. Perhaps a mile long and little less wide, the valley was sequestered in the center of four mountains that began a long mountain range stretching off to the east. The pass he entered from was at the southern end of the valley, and was the only entrance, high cliffs rising in a ring around the depression. The central area of the valley was mostly flat, and a small lake sat off to the left at the far end of the valley, fed by a small waterfall. Short grasses grew around the lake, thinning out the further one drew back from the water. A barren hill rose up at the other end of the valley, set against the cliffs. Anyone standing on the hill would have a clear view of the whole valley.

_There,_ Jeros thought,_ that's where it has to go._

He walked down the rocky slope and into the valley, slowly making his way across the plain and up to the crest of the hill. There, he paused to consider what to do. A single phrase came to his mind, which he spoke aloud.

"Warp in Nexus."

With a great shuddering rush, Jeros felt the psionic energy within him drain out, and directly in front of him, a massive glowing ball of blue light flashed into existence, glowing energy flickering erratically. The voice spoke once again in his head.

_Warping Nexus. Approximate warp time: 5 hours. _

_Stored Psionic Energy: 0 units_

_Hierarch Psionic Energy: 0 units_

_Psionic Matrix Coverage: Pending_

Then, in a sudden rush, exhaustion filled him, and Jeros collapsed unconscious.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Nexus**

When Jeros awoke, the sun was in the sky, rising over the eastern edge of the valley. He shut his eyes tight, the bright light making them ache. Groaning slightly, he sat up, still feeling a bit drained, but he could feel the trickle of what he guessed was psionic energy trickling in.

_Hierarch Psionic Energy: 16/600 units_, the voice supplied.

Jeros grimaced slightly, turning to survey his surroundings and then, turning to his left, freezing in shock.

The nexus stood proud before him. The pyramid rose high above him, the sunlight shining brilliantly of its golden sides. Blue windows dotted its surface, curving with the strange, alien architecture that seemed to seamlessly blend both curving protrusions and straight flat walls. And high at the top, a blue khaydarin crystal floated majestically above the apex.

Jeros turned his attention to the lower portion of the structure. An entranceway was set into each side of the nexus, and Jeros now walked toward the nearest one. It opened soundlessly, and Jeros found himself in a tunnel illuminated by a soft blue glow rising from the bottom of the walls, as well as blue crystals floating near the ceiling every dozen yards or so. He walked forward, the tunnel leading him to an open foyer sort of area, with three doorways Jeros identified as elevators. He entered the center one on instinct, and he felt the lift rise as the doors closed behind him.

Jeros walked through floors of the nexus, passing a large number of rooms. Most of the rooms on the second floor were bare, while most of the rooms on the third floor had between one and three beds in them, none of which were occupied. The fourth floor had a number of rooms with odd looking machines inside, but not much else. The building was deserted. Finally, Jeros stepped back into the lift and went up to the fifth and final floor.

When the doors of the lift opened again, he sucked in his breath. The room before him up to was square, ringed on three sides with large window that offered a view of the surrounding valley. As he stepped out of the elevator, holographic screens flickered to life in front of the windows, providing unidentifiable data graphs and maps of both the nexus and the surrounding area. Jeros deactivated them with a thought, stepping to the windows to look out for himself. Beyond the entrance to the valley, Jeros could just make out the pale gray spot on the horizon which marked Frostwind, the dramatically and somewhat inappropriately named castle of Duke Farien (It was not particularly cold in this region of Morsalus, the duke had only named the castle that to stroke his own ego). A holo-screen blinked to life in front of him, showing him a zoomed in view of the castle. Zoomed in as it was, it was only close enough to allow him to see the fortress's towers.

Jeros spotted a chair in the center of the room, and walked over to it, sitting down on instinct. Immediately, he felt a curious and slightly invasive feeling all over his being as a new, deeper voice spoke into his mind.

_Performing DNA and Psionic Scans... Cataloging data... Data cataloged. Hierarch Jeros identified. Welcome Hierarch. More data ran through Jeros' mind. _

_ Available Units: Probe_

_Available Structure: Nexus, Pylon_

_ Current Units: 0_

_ Stored Psionic Energy: 8_

_ Hierarch Psionic Energy: 16/600_

_Psionic Matrix Coverage: Hierarch, 1 nexus_

Jeros silently processed the information. It looked like the nexus would now allow him to produces probes and pylons. He focused on the word probe.

_Probe: Primary worker unit. Able to warp in structures. Cost: 1 psionic energy unit._

And then he focused on pylon.

_ Pylon: Supply structure. Establishes psionic matrix in vicinity. Powers nearby buildings. All Protoss structures except nexus require proximity to pylon. Unlocks Gateway_

Jeros considered the data for a moment, before deciding that probes would be the first thing he required. He hesitated for a moment, unsure what to do, before he remembered how he had warped in the nexus. He gave the command.

_Warp in probe._

The deeper voice (which Jeros belatedly realized emanated from the nexus itself) spoke into his mind once again.

_Orders received. Contacting Aiur facilities… Aiur facilities unavailable. Contacting Shakuras facilities… Contact established. Estimated combined warp time: 5 minutes. Psionic energy cost: 1 units._

_ Stored Psionic Energy: 8_

_ Hierarch Psionic Energy: 15/600_

Jeros glanced around, the memories of Jacob suddenly making him wonder just where the probes would appear. He considered for a moment before a hologram flickered to life, a model of the nexus appeared in front of him. A room on the bottom floor was highlighted.

_Well, that answers that._ Jeros thought. He stood up walking over to the lift, stepping inside and taking it back down to the lower floors of the nexus. The building seemed to sense where he wanted to go and responded accordingly, the crystals glowing more brightly along his path.

After a few minutes of walking through corridors, he entered another room on the ground floor, and before him were several machines that looked very much like small robotics facilities from the Starcraft II game back on Earth. One of them was currently active, a blue sphere crisscrossed with hexagons warping and undulating as the probe teleported into the nexus. Then, very suddenly, the probe emerged from the machine. It was a small, roundish machine with small fins projecting from either side of its body as well as a single one on top. A round, blue, transparent panel was mounted to its front, protecting delicate looking camera-like devices in side from harm. It was about the size of a medium sized dog, a bit larger than Jeros had thought it would be. The probe floated stationary in front of him, gently bobbing up and down. He hesitated for a moment, unsure what to order it to do.

_ Available Structures: Nexus, Pylon_

Jeros looked around. He was still curious as to where that voice was coming from, but with no answer obviously present, he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. With a silent command, he ordered the probe to follow him. He walked back outside of the nexus, the probe dutifully following him, occasionally making slight, whirring electronic noises. Outside, he walked another hundred yards and stopped. He sent a command to the probe.

_Warp in pylon._

The probe moved forward, its blue front suddenly glowing brightly. There was a blue flash, and a glowing ball of energy appeared in front of the probe.

_Warping pylon. Estimate warp time: 20 minutes. Psionic energy cost: 10 units._

_ Stored Psionic Energy: 0_

_ Hierarch Psionic Energy: 13/600_

Jeros glanced back at the probe, which was still hovering quietly next him. What was he supposed to do with it? He peered at it closely, a glint on the probe's viewport catching his eye. With a start, he realized that the glint was emanating from his face. His eyes were glowing blue, just like the Protoss from Starcraft. As he watched, the blue glow dimmed and died, his eyes returning to their usual brown color. Jeros wasn't sure what to make of this development. He decided that channeling psionic energy must have caused his eyes to glow. He glanced back and forth between the warping pylon and the probe for a moment, before sighing slightly. Time to wait.

* * *

_Pylon warp complete. Psionic matrix extended._

Jeros jerked up as the voice again spoke in his head, his eyes now fixed on the pylon. It floated several feet in front of him, a large blue khaydarin crystal inside a slowly revolving golden metal ring. Jeros approached it cautiously, still examining it. Hesitating slightly, Jeros reached out with his hand, curious what the crystal felt like. As soon as his hand made contact with the crystal, he gasped as a thousand-thousand consciousnesses seemed to flash through his mind. Pure blue light and energy streamed across his mind's eye, faces and flickers of emotion standing out for less than a moment before being swept aside as more rose up to take their place. Then, the sensation of falling into the blue, and in an instant, Jeros knew no more.

_~line break~_

Jeros awoke again slowly, blue light slowly filtering into his vision. He sat up. Or at least, he tried to. Jeros looked down, and in moment of panic, realized that he had no body.

_ You are safe_, said a voice, seeming to emanate from all around him. He shifted his view again, perplexed that he was able to look around without eyes. The voice was soothing, and more than a voice, a feeling of security had seemed to emanate from around him, of companionship. It had managed to quell most of his panic, but he still wanted to know where he was.

_You among friends,_ the voice said again. _ We are the remnants of the Protoss. We are the unity of consciousness. You are our Hierarch, and we welcome you, Jeros. We welcome you to the Khala._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Khala**

Jeros looked around in wonder, sensing the millions, no, the _billions_ upon billions of consciousnesses around him. There was an almost indescribable unity to them, each one a separate individual and yet inexplicably joined as one. The feeling of it sang in his mind, questions pouring forth from Jeros as he realized that he, too, was a part of it, this unity, this Khala.

The voice, what Jeros recognized now as the collective voice of the Khala, spoke again, answering the questions he had not needed to voice. _We are the souls of they who were once the Protoss. We were once separate individuals, each with our own identities; but over time, our memories have bled together in such a way that we no longer remember who we each once were, nor do we wish to. You are our new Hierarch, the first of us to be reborn. And you will lead us in rebirth. _

Jeros, overcoming his shock slightly, asked the Khala, How_ am I supposed to…?_

But the question was again answered for him. Their souls would be reborn into new bodies as units were born, and they would regain their individuality, as he had. The Khala told him more, explaining that the Psionic Matrix would gather the ambient Psionic energy that surrounded all life and use it to power buildings and warp in structures and units. The energy was gathered by pylons and nexuses, so building more of them would allow the gathering of more energy. The more energy he could build up, the more units he could build and the more souls could reincarnate. The way they explained all of it was not simply in spoken words; it was more like a sharing of memories, a joining of experiences.

Jeros absorbed all of the information in an instant, suddenly very aware of what he was supposed to do. He began to pull away from the Khala, falling back along the pathway to his own body. With a flash of light and a slight sense of regret for leaving, he found himself once again standing in front of the pylon, his hand resting gently against its surface. He could now feel the minds of the Khala, quietly whispering in the back of his mind. He looked around. The sun had moved much farther than Jeros had expected, high in the sky above him rather than only just rising as it had been when he'd entered the Khala. He glanced down to the probe, which was still floating next to him, taking inventory.

_Available Units: Probe_

_Available Structure: Nexus, Pylon, Gateway_

_ Current Units: 1 probe_

Jeros' next step, he knew, was to warp in a gateway. However…

He glanced around. The Khala had given him glimpses of what Protoss civilization once looked like. He would warp in the gateway, but first he was going to need probes. Lots of probes.

* * *

Over the next day, Jeros created forty nine more probes, and set them to work remodeling the surrounding valley. The probes were far, far more advanced than they first appeared. The frontal array was capable of running an extraordinarily complex scan in a small area roughly a meter square, right down to the molecular level. Each one had a khaydarin crystal core in its inner workings, allowing it to store a massive amount of information, similar to the way a warp prism stored the data of the molecular structure of any one it transported. The probes could then reconfigure the molecular structure of the area of the scan, allowing them to transform a landscape at an extremely fast rate. The probes and Jeros worked through the night, and by the next morning, the valley floor was smooth, pale gray stone shot through with linear patterns of gold and yellow stone. Pylons dotted the valley floor, extending the psionic matrix all over the valley. The Khala had informed Jeros that weaker demonians would not enter into the range of the psionic matrix, the energy field causing most organisms un-adapted to it to be very uneasy. After about a day and a half of work, the valley was terra-formed and ready for full Protoss development.

The first structure he'd need to build now was a gateway. The matrix might take care of weak demonians, but it wouldn't ward off a determined force of humans, and Jeros wasn't sure if Magic or Manus wielder would be affected by it at all. He'd probably build a forge as well; the photon cannons would certainly help strengthen his defenses.

The Khala spoke again in his mind.

_Gateway: Unit construction structure. Able to warp in units. May be upgraded to Warpgate. Unlocks Cybernetics Core structure. Unlocks Zealot unit. Cost: 50 psionic energy units._

_ Forge structure unavailable. Photon cannons available at Stage 2._

Now Jeros frowned, very confused. There was nothing about a stage two in his memories of Starcraft from earth. The Khala spoke again.

_Stage 2: Aeronautic Stage. Allows construction of Photon Cannon, Robotics Bay, Stargate structures. Allows construction of Templar infantry units. Allows construction of Immortal, Observer, Warp Prism robotic units. Allows construction of Oracle, Phoenix, Void Ray aerial units. Allows construction of Mothership Core. Requires 5000 units of psionic energy._

Jeros considered the information for a moment. _How many stages are there?_ He asked.

_Four stages accessible. Current stage: Stage 1, Terrestrial. Remaining stages: Stage 2, Aeronautic; Stage 3, Interplanetary; Stage 4, Interstellar._

Jeros had the very sudden and disconcerting feeling that all of this was much, much bigger than he'd thought. The Khala obliged him, images of massive flying ships, great golden vessels against a backdrop of stars, flashed across his vision. His mission, he realized, was not just to establish the Khala on Morslaus; It was to travel among the stars, beyond the dusty veil of the surrounding nebula, to spread to other planets, other star systems. To what end, Jeros couldn't fathom. Yet he still couldn't help but grin at the thought of carriers and tempests and motherships roaming the stars, spreading the light of the Khala throughout the galaxy.

_Carriers available at stage three_, the Khala interjected,_ Tempests available at stage three. Mothership available at stage four. Interstellar travel available at stage four._

Jeros grimaced slightly. Even with the extended psionic matrix the newly constructed pylons gave him, he was still quite a long way from reaching even stage two, much less stage four. And in any case, he needed to build up an army if he wanted to survive long enough to get the upper stages. Nonetheless, Jeros was impatient. A ghost of a smile flickered across his lips as he turned to order a nearby probe to warp in a gateway. His mother on this world had always said that he was too impatient for his own-

Jeros blanched. His mother. _Shit._ He'd left her back at Frostwind. _She's going to be going out of her mind worrying, _Jeros thought. His mother would have no idea about any of this. She'd… she'd probably think he was dead, Jeros realized. Thinking quickly, he rationalized that she'd probably survive without him, but there was still a chance she'd be punished for his escaping. Not physically harmed; that punishment was only used on violent serfs. But she would probably have reduced rations. And she'd probably be so depressed… He stared off in the direction of the castle. He had to break her out. He had power now, and Jeros knew that he could probably free her all by himself, but…

The rest of the serfs. Although the only one Jeros was related to by blood was his mother, the community of around fifty serfs had become a sort of surrogate family to him and his mother after his father's death. Jeros couldn't just leave them all behind…

He'd have to stage a breakout. But the castle was heavily defended by Manus-wielding guards and there were three Magic users living there who would also be called upon in the defense of the castle the duke himself among their number. Getting the serfs out would not be easy.

Jeros almost growled, even more frustrated. He was going to need a substantial force to take the castle. He would have to wait until he could build up his army to mount an assault. As much as Jeros hated to leave his mother in the dark and thinking he was dead any longer than necessary, she would simply have to wait.

* * *

He sent a probe to warp in the gateway immediately, and then turned back to the Nexus, having realizing he was quite dirty after spending the night outside. Even the serfs at Frostwind had the river to wash in each morning. Jeros figured the hierarch of the Protoss should have at least that much, and found that the living quarters set aside for him were the most luxurious he'd seen in both of his lives. He spent much more time than was probably necessary in the bath. He also discovered something when he turned to look into a mirror. His eyes were glowing blue. Permanently, it seemed, his irises and pupils having disappeared and been replaced by a blue glow. This, he was informed, turned out to be a byproduct of his communion with the Khala.

The nexus had also laid out new clothes for him after his bath, consisting of white robes with gold patterns sewn seamlessly into the weave. It was of finer quality than most of the nobles of Morsalus could afford.

Jeros walked back outside of the nexus, feeling refreshed and clean. The gateway had taken an hour to warp in, and it now stood next to the pylon, tall and proud. It looked very similar to the structure in the game, a dozen or so feet tall with a large arching structure set atop a squat base. Almost the entire building was plated in gold with blue panels set into the sides. Another khaydarin crystal floated under the archway, steps leading up to it.

_Units unlocked: Zealot_

_ Structures unlocked: Cybernetics Core_

_ Zealot: Primary melee unit. Wields dual psi-blades. Cost: 2 psionic energy units._

_Cybernetics Core: Research structure. Enables Warp-Gate technology. Unlocks Sentry, Stalker units._

Jeros approached the gateway, and sent it a command.

_Warp in zealot._

The khaydarin crystal flared, blue energy crackling briefly between the arch and the crystal before settling into a circular band rotating around the blue stone.

_Warping zealot. Cost: 2 psionic energy. Approximate warp time: 5 minutes_

Under the arch of the gateway, at the foot of the crystal, the energy slowly began to bleed away from the band around the stone, forming a blue column of light roughly six feet tall before the arch. Little by little, the light began to take on a recognizable form, condensing and shaping itself into a humanoid profile. In a flash, the light vanished, and the zealot stepped forward, eyes still closed.

Jeros blinked in surprise. The zealot was… well, he was _human_. At least he looked it. The zealot was somewhere between 5'10 and 6 feet tall with short black hair. He wore a golden power suit similar to that of the zealot from Starcraft II, but the shoulder guards weren't as large, and the lower half were obviously designed for human legs and feet rather than the digitigrade legs of a protoss. A khaydarin crystal was set into the chest plate, and there was blue detailing traced over the chest and shoulders. The bracers on the zealot's arms were a bit thicker than those normally seen on Morsalus, designed to project psi-blades as well as protect the wearer's arms.

The zealot took a great shuddering breath, and stood up straight, opening his eyes. They glowed blue like Jeros. He stepped forward and fell to one knee in front of Jeros, bowing his head, speaking telepathically.

_Greetings, Hierarch,_ he said,_ It is an honor to serve._ His mind's voice was calm and reserved, a bit deeper than Jeros.

Jeros closed his eyes, immersing himself in the Khala and searching out the zealot's consciousness. He found it, momentarily studying the somewhat familiar mixture of old and new memories. Old memories, the instincts of fighting techniques born of years of practices, and new memories of the zealot's new incarnation.

Jeros bowed his head slightly withdrawing from the intimate contact of the Khala. Jeros spoke telepathically. _And I am honored to lead you,_ he said. Jeros raised his head, hesitating slightly when the zealot remained motionless. _You… you can stand_, he said uncertainly.

The zealot stood, raising a hand briefly to his chest in a gesture of respect. Jeros hesitated again.

_What…_, he asked,_ what is your name?_

_I am called Imuron,_ the zealot replied.

Jeros hesitated again, curious about something. _…You'll have to forgive me, _Jeros said,_ as this is all very new for me, but I have to ask. Why do you look… human?_

Imuron paused for a second, a slightly confused look in his eyes. _Because…_, he said, _because _you_ do, Hierarch._

Jeros blinked for a second, about to ask for clarification before the soft voice of the Khala spoke again.

_Shortly after you entered the Nexus, you were subject to a DNA scan. The construction facilities on Shakuras received that data and will use it to create bodies with similar physiology._

Jeros blinked in surprise and paused for an instant before nodding, satisfied with the answer. He turned back to Imuron, speaking to him with his mind once again.

_Well, I'll need to get a good idea of your… combat abilities. If you'd follow me…_

_Of course, Hierarch._ Imuron replied, bowing again.

* * *

They walked toward the forest, passing out of the valley in relative silence. Jeros needed to find a demonian to test Imuron's skill, and to do that, he'd have to venture beyond the range of the psionic matrix. Demonians were generally ranked on a rough scale beginning at one and going up from there, with Manus and Magic wielders working with a similar system. The strongest demonians on record were ranked at a ten, and luckily, those had been killed off many years ago. The highest ranks that had been sighted in this forest were high-range rank threes, a pair of horn-frilled serpents that had made off with two members of a hunting party. There were rumors of rank fours deeper into the forest, but no one had ever seen them. At least, no one still living. Jeros was looking for a rank two, what would normally be a challenge for a lone, low-range level three Manus wielder. It didn't take long to find one. A forest stinger, a cat like demonian about as big as a medium-sized dog with a vicious looking scorpion-like tail, leapt out of the trees and across their path, turning quickly as it landed to leap towards Jeros.

Imuron moved before Jeros could so much as blink. Leaping in front of the Hierarch, the psi-blades on his wrists igniting with a flash of blue light. The demonian nearly collided with the zealot when it seemed to stop in midair, a translucent blue shield flickering into view for an instant before disappearing. Imuron paid it no mind, binging one arm up to slice off the stinging tail at the root. His other arm came down split second later, bisecting the demonian's body with a swift cut. The creature's remains fell to the ground, the three pieces landing with a series of dull thumps, twitching slightly for a few moments before stilling. The entire attack and counter attack had taken all of two seconds. Imuron stood very still for a moment, glancing around to look for other possible threats. Finding none, he deactivated his psi-blades, and turned, bowing to Jeros. Jeros, for his part, grinned. The zealot had certainly exceeded his expectations, moving with a speed and grace that Jeros suspected he would not have been able to follow before he had become Hierarch. The forest stinger was one of the fastest demonians in the area, and if the zealot was even faster than it, Jeros suspected that he wouldn't need quite so large an army as he'd thought.


End file.
